Right when you think Nova Safo is the worst fill-in, here comes Sabri Ben-Achiour. Just didn’t answer and had nothing to contribute last Friday. Seriously the worst show you could possibly produce would be to pair these two. No prep, no insight, act like you care - instead we get plants and pottery. Not what I subscribe for. I go back to Kai and Molly days and Kimberly has stepped right up. But when they are off pls look talent pairings Perfect world one OG with a sub seems to work. Reema Khrais, (beautiful voice AND smart) Meghan McCarty Carino always fun and solid. Amy Scoot good. Matt Levin awesome. Heck bring back producer-guy with the great voice that sometimes fills in for Drew. Do better if you are going to ask for our support.

While a majority of the episodes are neutral, there is a liberal and left leaning point of view in commentary. It would be nice if this either remained neutral or were willing to factually report things happening on both sides of the isle. Several comments when political talk is there is misleading or out of context and only aimed at one side. This consistent abstraction is why I do not donate to partisan media on either side of the isle. I will listen to get outside any bubbles but when you need to fact check the podcast as often as some of the right wing commentators, it is not a single source of truth

Just great a Podcast to be in the know about a variety of subjects, the ones making the headlines and those not being covered as much! Love Kai, and Kimberly you’re terrific!!

A refreshing, insightful podcast that breaks down complex topics with clarity and wit. Hosts Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood offer a perfect balance of humor, intelligence, and curiosity, making even the most daunting subjects—from economics to tech—engaging and accessible. What sets this podcast apart is its ability to make listeners feel smarter without overwhelming them. Whether you’re a news junkie or just want to stay informed, “Make Me Smart” delivers valuable takeaways in every episode, all while keeping the conversation light and relatable. It’s a must-listen for anyone looking to understand the world better.

This show sometimes asks good questions about current economic and political issues but is reluctant to criticize the well known cancers of society, instead has become a puff piece for militarism in recent episodes, disgusting to see.

I wanted to like this show, but unfortunately they are extremely politically biased and they are unable and unwilling to keep personal opinions out of the podcast. I’m aware that everybody has an opinion on politics, but if I wanted to hear people’s opinion on politics I would listen to a political podcast!

Started listening early in the pandemic- kept me sane. Love the hosts,guest hosts, and experts that share their knowledge

Thoroughly enjoyable way to keep up with current events.

It’s so hard to trust journalism and media these days and that’s why I turned to podcasts where real people can discuss topics without the persuasion of propaganda. I found Marketplace, and then subsequently, Make Me Smart and was excited to have a news source where I could trust that I’m being informed, without being persuaded one way or the other (left or right). After listening to several episodes, I thought this might be it. Then I just listened to an episode where they attacked FOX news as being a misinformer. Let me be clear. I don’t listen to FOX news either for the same reason. But the fact that they didn’t also say the same thing about CNN was my key to stop listening. Turns out this show isn’t for those that want fact based news and learnings. I thought they were different. I was mistaken. Turns out they are the same as every other propaganda filled media source that we are bombarded with on a daily basis. Sad.

Today I was strumming through my open iPad pages thinking about everything I need to get done today. I’m getting distracted, of course. Stress that’s what stress does to me it allows me to be easily distracted. I really can’t afford to be distracted anymore. I’m wasted too many years and burned through relationships to the point where I am completely isolated. For whatever reason, I decided to listen to Apple News Today and after listening to disturbing account of a young man who been brutally assaulted this episode came on about stress, money investments past occurrences have all three correlate with each other to determine our financial outlook. I was pleased and very upset over the fact that it seems like I have been screwing myself out of a happy life. i’m so disturbed with myself. I am the key unlocking my future at this point I don’t think it’s gonna be very long although I shouldn’t say that it’s just been my experience. Thank you very much ladies for making me feel like an idiot once again I have no problem coming up reason to say that I would love nothing more than hold myself accountable for the negative energy that played my life for the past 35 years. Guess what I wake up in the morning it could be the start of a brand new life. I’ll lick my wound trying to not to hurt anyone, although my patience run thin. Gratefully idiot.

This is one of my favorite podcasts. Informative and just fun to listen to

Seriously the most interesting and informative podcast out there. Kimberly and Kai are a joy to listen to as they discuss the days news. I enjoy the diversity of hosts and their thoughts. Great podcast, can’t recommend enough! Market place as a whole is great but this show is the best of.

Kai and Kimberly are smart and funny. The podcast started during the pandemic, when it was important to feel connected, and it succeeded exceptionally. 4 years later, I’m still listening and learning.

I used to like this podcast but Kai has gotten to be such a downer and won’t stop interrupting discussions to point out dysfunctional congress. Okay, we get it you hate anything new or unfamiliar to you, and congress isn’t working right now.

I like what this show is trying to do, but it really feels like Kai doesn’t want to be there lately.

One of my favorite shows to listen to almost every day. Love the Friday happy hour!

Wonderful format! Kai has a great perspective, which is especially enjoyable to juxtaposed with his younger costar. I appreciate that they are both clearly journalists at heart and try to disclose and mitigate their own personal biases when forming opinions on the topics of the day. Excellent show! Keep it going.

Still listening after all these years! The best podcast around!!

Everything you need to know about current in-depth news.

Pains me to say, but Make Me Smart isn’t making me smart. If anything, it’s exposing how out of touch the hosts are on some topics that should be in their wheelhouse. The eye-opener was a recent episode where Kai was shocked - shocked! - to read that Twitter isn’t and never was a significant source of traffic for NPR and other media outlets. This isn’t news and hearing Kai and Kimberly ooh and ah and sigh over this and other well-trodden ground is a little too basic for this nerd.

Touché, Kimberly! Please keep on trolling Kai on The Never Ending Story. Tee Hee!

The news can be such a bummer but this dynamo duo knows how to deliver all the “need to know” info you should know about to stay informed. Kimberly is amazing and so is Kai. Thanks for making me smart and thanks for all the smiles.

I love Kai and have been following him for so long but this podcast was 100% times better with Molly because she knew how to carry on a conversation. As a woman of color who would usually agree with her views, Kimberly just makes everything about her perspective and is always interrupting. Stop this Kimberly

Basically this show has become a mouthpiece for progressive propaganda. All stories are tackled from that angle, and reasonable opposing criticism is never given. Lopsided and obviously agenda oriented

I love spending my morning in the company of Kai and Kimberly. Entertaining and informative.

Was much better quality (and more engaging) when only one day a week. Like cable news, not enough to fill five episodes a week with quality. No longer my fav podcast - just too much

Used to be an interesting show but like the rest of NPR, it has divulged into partisan propaganda. I liked listening to NPR so I can get different perspectives, but it’s become intolerable

This show has single-handedly caused me to question the journalistic integrity of Marketplace and the parent company American Public Media.

I like the show and big fan of Kai but the reporting on retail theft is bad. Just because we can’t find the data does mean the facts not in the data are wrong. The retail theft is real bad around the Bay Area. I have seen quite a bit of stores broken in my neighborhood that are supposed to be very safe areas. If you can’t find enough evidence there might be problems with data collection and we should consider that before questioning what people are observing daily. I know there a tendency to push any negative narrative as wing propaganda but I am an atheist who is exactly opposite spectrum of right wing ideology, I love the California liberals but retail theft is bad around this place.

I’ve given the new cohost arrangement a solid couple of years and the more I listen the more annoyed I get. Kimberly Adams, while an excellent journalist on the regular Marketplace shows, is basically unlistenable on MSM. The chemistry with Kai feels strained and the general approach to this show is supposed to be much more wide ranging in its topics than it has been since Kimberly became the permanent cohost. Honestly I knew that she would be given the nod as soon as Molly announced her departure because Kimberly hits all the demographic sweet spots. But when Sabri Ben-Achour guested I found the show much more enjoyable and he should have been given serious consideration as Molly’s replacement. Update: I just listened to #1000 and was instantly reminded just how much I miss Molly. Her interactions with Kai are much more relaxed and it really contrasted with how stilted the interactions are between Kai and Kimberly. Plus, Molly is very real on the show and always had been. Kimberly on the other hand has never been that real on the show. We all know when someone isn’t being genuine and with Kimberly it’s quite obvious but I’ve never really been able to put my finger on it until now. Kai can’t carry the show for me anymore. But there’s good news in that Molly has a new podcast called Everybody in the pool. So I am unsubscribing from MMS and getting my Molly Wood fix again. Oh and not for nothing but all of the reviews that complain about how “liberal” the show has gotten clearly have been listening to too much right wing propaganda. Content wise the show is still very informative and provides good information especially when they do their weekly interviews with experts. They’ve also done a better job since my original review of getting back to a more expanded set of topics and issues which I do appreciate. It’s Kimberly’s fake demeanor and unprofessional digs at Kai which have made the show unlistenable for me. So I changed my rating from 3 stars to 1.

These two have such great chemistry. They remind me of siblings who quibble but in a funny way. Kai is such a legend, and it’s really awesome to hear Kimberly clap back. I get the sense they really like each other!!

Kimberley doesn’t understand conversation etiquette. She doesn’t respond to what Kai says in a way that sounds genuine and appears to be condescending. She just like waits until it’s her turn to talk without acknowledging what kai says. A conversation shouldn’t be one sided. It comes off awkward without the back and forth (which is what people like in a podcast.) I’m a black woman and a leftist so it has nothing to do with Kimberly’s views which I mostly agree with. Kimberly just isn’t a good podcast host

Ayeeeee! I really really enjoy listening to this podcast. Kimberly, Kai, and the rotating cast of Marketplace casts that come through are so amazing. I love that you guys cover things that are different from other daily podcasts and shows. I know that it can be taboo to hear journalists discussing their experiences and opinions on topics but I love because it makes me think yall are living in the same world as us because certain journalists seem like they are trying to detached themselves from reality on how they talk about things. Thank you for making me smart.

Get facts and report that, not your opinion please. I’m done though, will see if you change in a few months.

I’ve listened to Make Me Smart for a long time and I think they need to consider going back to a weekly show. It frequently seems like they don’t have real news material to fill 5 shows with and just seems unfocused When it was weekly with Kai and Molly it was a useful news update, and I got the switch to daily during the pandemic/lockdown, but that motivation is gone and the show is weaker for it. I’m not quite at unsubscribe level yet but I’m pretty close. (Plus it’s clear that Kai and Kimberly have other commitments and can’t always be there to record- so stop trying to force it)

It is great to hear honest reactions to our world

I love this show and have been listening for a long while now, pre Kimberly, while it was still Molly and Kai. I loved Molly and was worried about losing her as a host but really like Kimberly and the dynamic she and Kai have. They’re smart, conversational and funny, each in their own way. I do feel more knowledgeable and always learn something interesting and equally helpful in life. I like each days’ focus too. Keep doin what you’re doing MKTPL!

It’s not a bad podcast, but it’s not great. All the talk about cocktails is suuuper boring.

I consider myself pretty “centrist” but it seems that current content always has an allegory feel to it. Although that is not unique in media today ;) Although I think the quality of guests is pretty cool, I feel like I’m not really getting the unbiased story like I got from the old Marketplace.

Listened to a recent episode talking about the crack down on Costco, Netflix members sharing memberships. When the conversation turned to how unfair it is towards singles because it’s “basically a singles tax” compared to a family of 6 using their memberships, I had to unsubscribe. If an educated person, who is supposed to be “making us smarter,” can’t figure out the difference between the cost of living for a family of 6 versus a single person, there are far better podcasts worth my time to listen.

Have loved Marketplace for years but MMS has devolved into one of the hosts ranting inanely about her personal and petty grievances…Every.Single.Episode.(Wow, how does she manage to make every episode about her pretentious self, her cat, and her very Specific and Important life challenges. Omg, Costco’s club model isn’t tailored to household size of 1?!?) Nobody cares, we would just like for her to stop talking already. Please let the show get back to actual meaningful economic and business NEWS and balanced coverage.

W I’m hub

Very disappointed in the obvious partisanship and unnecessary politicization of what bills itself as a business news story. Won’t be coming back to this one.

As a long-time listener of the "Make Me Smart" podcast, I am disappointed and frustrated by the direction it has taken in recent years. Once an engaging and informative show, it has gradually devolved into a platform for extreme leftist political commentary. As a result, I can't give this podcast anything more than a 1-star rating. The podcast has become increasingly one-sided and politically biased. Kai and Kimberly now make little to no effort to present balanced viewpoints, opting instead to push their own political agenda. This not only alienates long-time listeners like myself, but also exacerbates the growing political divide in our society. The political commentary on "Make Me Smart" has grown progressively more superficial, cherry-picking facts and anecdotes to support the hosts' existing beliefs. The lack of thorough analysis and intellectual rigor is a far cry from the podcast's earlier days, and it's disheartening to see how far it has strayed from its original mission. Furthermore, the podcast's tone has taken a turn for the worse, becoming condescending and patronizing. It's as if the hosts believe their opinions are the only valid ones, and anyone who disagrees is simply uninformed or ignorant. This attitude detracts from the show's potential value and makes it nearly impossible to appreciate any insights it may offer. In conclusion, as a once-loyal listener, I can no longer recommend "Make Me Smart" to anyone seeking a balanced, informative, and engaging podcast. The extreme leftist bias, superficial commentary, and patronizing tone have turned a former favorite into a disappointing and frustrating listening experience. There are countless other podcasts available that offer a more fair and insightful exploration of current events – don't waste your time with this one.

I read a novel about the Dollar being replaced. It’s called Trigger Warning, by Vic Hendrickson. It was pretty good.

The episode titles always entice me to listen but five minutes in I ask myself what am I listening to? It sounds like they are having a conversation about anything and everything. I expect to learn a bit more about the topic after listening to an episode. There is no depth and certainly does not make me feel smarter.

This started as an excellent segment on another show where a domain expert made all of us smart. It became a stand alone show with same domain expert and the oldest young curmudgeon on radio. It was amazing. Now it’s just a place where unqualified people speak authoritatively about things they do not know but happen to feel passionately. They often invite an ‘expert’ who supports their existing view and ask biased questions. This is not journalism.

I haven’t listened yet.

I enjoy Molly and Kai and their spirited intelligent and insightful discussions about the political eddies and their impact on the macro and micro economics that we all try to live with and within. Thank you! Superb radio journalism.

Kimberly Adams doesn’t seem to care about the show. Her responses to pretty much everything Kai says “yay”, “yah”, “I’ve got nothing to add to that”.